


A Mix of Truths and Lies

by Kokichis_Lie



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Everyone attends Hope's Peak, Fluff, M/M, Oma as Ouma, Saihara is the mc, Trans Saihara Shuichi, characters might be OOC, first fic, how to tag, kaito is the supportive best friend, kept getting deleted thanks computer, probably add more minor ships and tags later, references to the canon games and anime, someone protect shuichi please, there might be some angst later, wrote this like five times
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-26 16:01:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15004367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kokichis_Lie/pseuds/Kokichis_Lie
Summary: What if there was no killing game? What if the Ultimate Despair had never fallen to despair? What if Hinata Hajime's personality was never erased, and instead added Kamukura Izuru's personality? What if The Tragedy never happened? What if Danganronpa V3 was real and not real fiction? What if they all attended Hope's Peak Academy? What if they all had lived normal lives?An Oumasai fanfic filled with my "what if's" and self indulgence





	1. The Beginnings of Hope

**Author's Note:**

> I have had to write this chapter multiple times because technology sucks ajhdjfsf 
> 
> Or maybe it's a sign that I should turn back now and not write this fic, but guess what, I'm writing it anyway >:3

_Just a little more sleep..._  
  
Shuichi curled up in his blankets, keeping his eyes closed and hugging a pillow. He was desperately trying to go back to sleep. It wasn't that he wanted more sleep per se. It's just that- he didn't like what was waiting for him outside his room. It wasn't something physical that he didn't like but...it was more like it was something that can't be seen, or more specifically, heard.  
  
After a few more minutes of trying to go back to sleep, he sighed and got out of  
bed, dragging himself to the restroom. He looked at the clock in the hallway to check the time. 5:30am. School started at 7am.  
  
_Might as well get up now I guess..._  
  
After Shuichi did his morning routine (brushing his teeth, washing his face, etc.), he changed into his usual uniform, put on his favorite hat and grabbed his bag, quietly walking to the living room while getting lost in his thoughts.  
  
The school he attended was Hope's Peak Academy, a government funded school that scouted students who were noticed for being the Ultimates in their field and the students have to already be attending high school. Shuichi was a part of their recent class, the 79th Class of Hope's Peak Academy.

  
He still doesn't know how he got into the school, they already had the Ultimate Detective Kyoko Kirigiri, and he was also scouted in as the Ultimate Detective. However he just happened to solve a case and he...he really feels like he doesn't deserve the title. In many more ways than one, Kyoko was a better detective than him, and he was just kind of...there.  
  
Shaking his head to get out of his thoughts, he stepped into the living room and there was nothing but silence. He hated it. The silence of no one there, the silence of no other life besides him, the silence...of accepted loneliness. There was no sign of the TV being used, the pictures on the tables and walls have faded and gained dust. The kitchen seemed to not have any life, as if a light that was once bright, had suddenly become dull. Shuichi gritted his teeth and quickly went out the door. He made sure to lock it behind him after making sure he remembered everything he needed for school.

 

* * *

 

It was still early when he arrived at school, heck when he arrived the gates were _just_ being opened. Shuichi nodded slightly to the guards and walked to his classroom, observing the halls and other places as he went. His classroom was on the second floor to the right, just in front of the restrooms. He was the first one to arrive and he quickly claimed a seat in the back corner, wondering if anyone else was going to show up today. It was the first day of school after all, and he knows a lot of people tend to show up late or just not show up at all.  
  
He stared off into space, resting his cheek on his hand and sighing to himself while looking around. There wasn't anything special about the classroom, in fact, it seemed like any other classroom out there.  
  
_Maybe it's because it's the first day of school that everything seems so...plain..._  
  
Shuichi allowed himself to get lost in his thoughts again before he heard a loud...conversation? Shuichi looked out the window of the door to see what was going on, from his seat of course.  
  
"YOU WANNA FIGHT?"  
  
"If you could please refrain from shouting in the hallways that would be greatly appreciated"  
  
"No one cARES, there's practically no one here anyway, you on the other hand need to be less selfish, you haven't changed at all since last year!"  
  
"I have no time for your lecture. Move out of the way plankton."  
  
"What was that?!"  
  
Shuichi blinked as he nervously observed what was going on outside. There was a tall boy with a...questionable hairstyle and another boy who was blonde, wearing glasses and seemed to have a cold, dismissive aura around him. They seemed like they were about to fight, which didn't suit well with him at all. He disliked fights. Then another smaller boy came and frantically tried to stop them. Shuichi slowly got up from his seat and approached the door with caution, bringing his bag with him as well.  
  
"Guys! Let's not fight here please, I don't want a repeat of last-"  
  
"Get out of the way Naegi"  
"If you don't want to get hurt then move"  
  
"I'm not letting you guys get in trouble for fighting again"  
  
Shuichi heard it before he saw it, for a loud resonating "smack" sound echoed. He immediately opened the door, freezing into place when the two other males (ft. A knocked out Naegi on the ground) glared at him. "U-um..." Shuichi stuttered, instantly becoming nervous. He looked elsewhere before glancing down at the boy on the floor. He tried to come up with an explanation, but he ended up speaking timidly with his head down. "I-I saw what happened and-"  
  
The blonde male scoffed, interrupting him and Shuichi tried not to flinch (probably failing to do so due to the expression on the other male's face). "Take him to the nurse's office will you? It's not the first time this has happened and it was to be expected after all." There was almost no room for argument so Shuichi just silently nodded and nervously carried the small boy - Naegi, his mind supplied - on his back before quickly going off to the nurse's office. Not looking back to see what happened to the other two. Although he may have heard a "Can't believe you boss people around even now Togami, you never change."

 

* * *

 

He had memorized the map layout of the whole school, not wanting to get lost on the first day. It seemed that it came in handy today, although he really wasn't expecting to carry someone to the nurse's office on the first day of school... Shuichi made his way to the first floor and noted how there seemed to be almost no one around.  
  
_It must still be early..._  
  
Shuichi arrived at the nurse's office and after readjusting Naegi on his back, knocked on the door and it was opened by a girl. She had long hair, an apron(?) over a pink shirt and blue skirt and a long bandage going from her hand to just above the elbow. The girl seemed to panic immediately upon seeing Shuichi with a knocked out boy on his back. "O-Oh s-something like t-this happened a-already..."  
  
_She stutters a lot, she must be a little timid...or it could just be a habit_  
  
Shuichi nodded and nervously pulled on his hat with one hand, making sure not to drop Naegi. "Can I come in?" He said it softly and he wasn't sure if the other girl could hear it, and he was about to repeat himself until the girl furiously nodded and opened the door wider. "I-I'm sorry I just got d-distracted a-and--" Shuichi became flustered before saying "I-It's okay" and entering the room, gently placing Naegi on the bed and sighing.  
  
_It's going to be a long day, I can already tell_

 

* * *

 

"So, what's your name?"  
"I should introduce m-myself-"  
  
_Oh-_  
  
"Go ahead-"  
"I-I'm sorry..."  
  
Shuichi wasn't expecting that, they both spoke at the same time twice. Before it could happen again, he smiled and gestured towards her so she knew she could speak. "O-Oh...um well my name is Tsumiki Mikan, a student of Class 77-B... I'm also known as the Ultimate Nurse. W-What's your name?" The girl- no Tsumiki gave him a timid smile and he gave a small smile back. "My name is Saihara Shuichi and I'm a part of the 79th Class"  
  
Tsumiki let out a small gasp (causing Shuichi to have a confused expression on his face) before putting her fingers together. "S-So you're new then? I've heard about you, you're the new Ultimate Detective right?" Shuichi nodded, "Yes I'm the new Ultimate Detective...although I could never compare to the original one..." He whispered the second part, Mikan seemed to have heard, but if she did, she didn't say anything.  
  
"I-I should probably tend to Naegi-kun...You should go back t-to class." Shuichi looked at the time and it was almost time for class, but for some reason, he wanted to stay. Then he realized what the reason was. "You think I can help around here instead? I-It might get a little lonely working here by yourself s-so..." Shuichi, now embarrassed, looked down and tried covering his face with his hat. "O-Oh! U-Um, if you honestly don't mind...then I guess it wouldn't hurt...b-but are you sure? It's your first day of school and you need to get to know your classmates. Plus not showing up for the first day of school doesn't look good- oh I'm sorry I'm speaking too much aren't I?"  
  
Shuichi thought she had made a good point, but he didn't want to leave them alone. Tsumiki seemed to have noticed the change in expression because she just smiled at him and made a small gesture to the door. "D-Don't worry, I'll keep you updated on his situation, and I'll tell him that it was you who brought him h-here. He can introduce himself to you then personally." Shuichi nodded and reluctantly stepped outside, he then turned back around and gave a timid wave. "S-See you sometime soon then Tsumiki senpai..." The older girl gave a timid wave back before Shuichi closed the door and went to class.

 

* * *

 

Surprisingly, he was not the last student to enter the room, in fact, there were only three other people in the classroom so far. It was very unsettling to Shuichi that they were all talking and then stopped to stare at him once he entered. He wanted to run away right then and there, but his feet were glued to the ground. So he did what he would normally do, walk over to his seat, sit down and most importantly, _not_ making eye contact with anyone.  
  
_I wasn't like this with Tsumiki senpai...maybe it was because we're both quite shy and timid, not to mention that I was carrying that boy- Naegi. His name is Naegi. Or maybe it's because senpai didn't stare at me like everyone in this room is-_  
  
Fortunately for Shuichi, they stopped staring and he had to refrain from letting out a loud sigh. One of them came over, it was a blonde girl Shuichi observed. She had on a long sleeved shirt with a pink vest over it, and a warm purple colored skirt with music notes. Speaking of music notes, she had music note hair clips in her hair, and her eyes were a pretty shade of a warm purple, just like her skirt. She seemed...nice.  
  
_Ah- I should stop analyzing people when I just meet them...it's bound to be a problem that'll cause misunderstandings later..._  
  
"Hello~ My name is Akamatsu Kaede, I'm the Ultimate Pianist! it's nice to meet you...?" The girl, Kaede held out her hand and Shuichi (not making eye contact) shook her hand. "Saihara Shuichi..." She giggled and let go of his hand, "Saihara-kun then, do you happen to know where everyone else is?" Straight into conversation, but the talk wasn't unwelcome. There was something about her that made him feel comfortable. Maybe it was the obvious friendly aura around her. "No...I haven't seen anyone else that's in this class besides you three." "I see..." Kaede frowned, it was almost like a pout.  
  
"Oh right the other two need to introduce themselves to you too, hey you guys come over here~" The other two came over, one was a blue haired girl, and the other was a green haired boy (who was, rather unfairly attractive). The blue haired girl introduced herself first, her name was Shirogane Tsumugi (she was the Ultimate Cosplayer) and the green haired boy was Amami Rantaro (he was the Ultimate Adventurer). "From what I heard, it seems like we can choose to dorm here if we wanted to, it doesn't cost anything at all, and you'll probably get a roommate too." Rantaro spoke and Shuichi was immediately relieved by those words, because as much as he loved his home, there was always something missing. That something was a familiar human presence. His parents were rarely home and if they did, they tried but didn't really pay attention to him ("hands-off parenting" indeed). His uncle treated him well, but Shuichi couldn't keep relying on him).  
  
After chatting for a little while longer, some others came in, and soon enough, the whole class came in. Introductions went by smoothly, and Shuichi had no problem memorizing their names because they all stood out in their own way. Although a few stood out to him in particular, like Kokichi who was short and small and not to mention, very mischievous. Keebo, who was a robot, he seemed to want to fit in and became uncomfortable when people (especially Kokichi) asked about his robot functions. Then Miu-  
  
"Hey crotchrot, you starin' at my tits?" Shuichi didn't realize that was directed at him until he felt stares on him. "W-What?" He was, beyond confused. "Well get your eyeful, stare at em all you'd like. A guy like you can only dream of landing a big-boobed hottie like me!" He shook his head while being very flustered. "N-No I wasn't staring, my eyes just happened to look-" Very poor excuse, he knew that but he was just- so flustered. ""Ohh, I just happened to look there..." "Ohh, my hand just happened to grope her..."" Miu spoke in a tone that Shuichi didn't like at all. It was making him beyond uncomfortable. "Hah-haha! I can identify pervs on sight, and you are definitely a fuckin' perv. That's the whole reason why you got a hat though right?" His blood ran cold, and an unexplainable anger rushed through him as Miu kept talking. "It's to hide your peeking eyes huh? Hah-haha! Everyone knows that only pervs wear hats!" Shuichi tried to hold in his anger, he really did. But-  
  
_Shut up shut up shut up! You have- You have no damned right-_  
  
Suddenly, Shuichi slammed his fists against the table. Hard. It took everyone (even himself) by surprise. "..." He sent a glare at Miu and everyone seemed shock, for he had given a timid (slightly unreliable) impression on them. "Stop it..." The room was silent, another type of silence he hated. "Leave me alone! I can wear a hat if I want to!! You have no right to talk about me like that just because I wear a hat!" His voice seemed to just get louder and he calmed down a little, but that didn't stop his glaring.  
  
_You don't know, you don't know anything. Don't know why I wear this hat, making assumptions straight from the first time we even met-_  
  
Somehow, that made him angrier, he took his bag and mumbled an "I'll be back", going out of the classroom while ignoring his classmate's shouts. As soon as he knew no one was coming to chase after him, he ran, ran to the first floor and to the nurse's office. When he was about to raise his hand to knock, he lowered it soon after.  
  
_Why am I even here? I shouldn't have yelled like that. Even if it is a touchy subject I shouldn't have gotten mad and ran off just because of my hat..._  
  
He sighed and just as he turned around, he was face to face with no one other than Tsumiki. "T-Tsumiki senpai..." Shuichi looked away from the girl and stepped to the side so she could get in. "S-Saihara-kun...y-you look pretty upset, why don't you come in?" Shuichi glanced back up at the older and she was already going inside the nurse's office, and he took that as invitation to go in. He closed the door behind him when he heard an unfamiliar voice. "Oh! Do you happen to be Saihara Shuichi-kun?"  
  
"H-Huh?" Shuichi had his back facing the direction the voice came from and he turned around to be met with the boy he brought in this morning. "O-Oh, yes that's my name...I got scouted as the Ultimate Detective..." He smiled at the other, trying very hard to not show how upset he was, it seemed to work for now. "I see, thank you for bringing me here. My name is Naegi Makoto and I'm from the 78th Class. I'm the Ultimate Lucky Student, it's nice to meet you." There was a light cheer in Naegi's voice, and somehow, it made him feel a tad bit better.  
  
"S-Saihara-kun, do you...d-do you want to talk about whatever's upsetting you?" Shuichi didn't know how to respond so he said a small timid, "E-Eh?" before Tsumiki rolled her chair (albeit very carefully) over to Naegi, making sure to not run over any wires. "S-Something was definitely upsetting you earlier and I want to h-help. Oh! B-But I don't want to pry, I-I'm sorry if you don't want to talk about it." She was apologizing profusely as she made Naegi lay down and gently put an ice pack on his cheek. Even Naegi looked curious as to what would upset him. Shuichi figited nervously before he sighed. "N-No it's okay I'll tell you- j-just promise you won't say it's stupid or anything like that..."  
  
They must have sensed his insecurity and they both nodded. "I promise I won't say anything, or think of whatever you say is stupid Saihara" "Y-Yeah, if you're that insecure about it t-then it must be hard keeping it inside right?" Shuichi smiled in relief before inhaling and exhaling (a little shakingly). "S-So...It's dumb but I got...mad at a classmate for judging me for wearing a hat..." He started explaining the situation as best as he could without revealing too much about his past. Once he was done, both of them gestured for him to come over, he did and they both gave him a hug.  
  
_This...this is surprising but...I guess it's nice..._  
  
"I probably can't do much, but if anyone causes you problems then you can count on me alright?" "I-I can also do something about it...w-with the help from my class too." Shuichi was beyond touched by his upperclassmen, he nodded and released them from the hug. "Thank you...thanks to you guys I already feel a lot better. I'm lucky to have such nice upperclassmen like you two..."  
  
_Maybe...maybe one day I can tell them about why this hat is so important to me..._  
  
"It's no problem~ I'm glad I could make you feel better." "M-Me too! P-Plus you were nice to me, so it's only natural that I'm nice to you too- oh I'm rambling again aren't I?" Shuichi chuckled and shook his head. "It's fine Tsumiki-senpai, don't worry about it." Naegi pulled out his phone and waved it in front of them. "How about we exchange phone numbers? That way we can keep in contact even outside of school."  
  
They ended up exchanging phone numbers and Shuichi had wondered if he wanted to go back to class or not. "I-If you don't want to go back to class, I can accept your offer from t-this morning..."  
  
_Oh, about me helping her right? Well...I guess it wouldn't hurt, after all I'm not sure if I want to go back to class yet..._  
  
"Alright I'll help you around then Tsumiki-senpai." Tsumiki looked happy and Naegi just laughed at them- in a good way. "By the way, the other Ultimate Detective, Kyoko Kirigiri is in my class so if you ever want to talk to her or anything, just come to my class." Shuichi nodded, it would be nice to get some tips and training from the original Ultimate Detective. Maybe, just maybe he could learn to be a better detective from her. "S-Saihara-kun, I need some help bringing some of these boxes over to my classroom, c-could you help?" Shuichi nodded and took some of the boxes, they weren't that heavy but he made sure to handle them with care.  
  
After going up to the fourth floor (which was where their classroom was at), Shuichi was terribly exhausted. He needed to be more active, making a mental note of that, he waited for Tsumiki to open the door. "S-Saihara-kun, please don't be freaked out when you see my class please...e-everyone can be a little...w-weird sometimes I guess but-" "It's okay Tsumiki-senpai" With that reassurance, Tsumiki opened the door and immediately, a loud blast of noise came from inside.  
  
"Oh look it's Tsumiki-chan~"


	2. Finding What Was Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi is able to meet the 77th Class of Hope's Peak while helping Tsumiki out and he's also able to meet the 78th Class after. Kokichi has found Shuichi and after giving exaggerated reactions, Shuichi finally goes back to the 79th Class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The summary is really bad, smh @ me. I couldn't think of anything to put there uwu

"Tsumiki-chan and- who's this?"   
  
Shuichi put the boxes down where Tsumiki told him to put them, and he quietly shuffled back to the door, not looking up from the floor. He felt as if everyone in the classroom was talking and whispering to each other about him and he felt extremely self-conscious. "Now now, let's not talk about him but welcome him" He looked up to see that it boy with fluffy white hair who had said that and Shuichi was very grateful.   
  
"Okay class~ We're- oh?" The whole class turned to look at and welcome their teacher with such cheer and happiness...and Shuichi immediately felt out of place. "Yukizome sensei, we were just about to welcome the boy that Tsumiki brought with her~" The girl with long blonde hair spoke and Shuichi felt a regal aura from her. "Ah yes, he's your underclassman Sonia, he's Saihara Shuichi the Ultimate Detective in Class 79~" This Yukizome sensei spoke in a cheerful tone while informing the class of his name, talent, and his class. It saved him from having to introduce himself to the others so that was a good thing he guessed.   
  
The classroom broke into bouts of welcome and they really...felt like a large family. They accepted him so readily and it was such a warm gesture Shuichi felt like he could cry. A warm caring family was something Shuichi did not have (the only warm person he cared about was his uncle). However he did not cry because that would've been a little embarrassing- but he did tear up a little. Everyone introduced themselves after and one of them came up to him and shook his hand. Shuichi noted that he had different colored eyes, he thought it was pretty neat and cool, but he also wondered how he got those two eye colors.   
  
"It's nice to meet you, my name's Hinata Hajime and uh...I would say I'm a normal student but the school wrote me down as the Ultimate Hope..." Shuichi hummed and just smiled at the other, if he didn't want to talk about it, he didn't want to talk about it. "It's nice to meet you Hinata senpai" While he was talking with Hajime, Tsumiki was telling the story of what happened with Shuichi to everyone else, which-- caused a small uproar. It honestly touched Shuichi even more, it seemed like they already adopted him to to their little family. However they had to calm down before they destroyed his class. It took Shuichi, Hajime, and Chisa a long time to calm the class down. "I should get going, I can't avoid going to class forever..."   
  
_Maybe I'll check up on Naegi senpai first..._   
  
Shuichi smiled to himself at the thought and said his farewells to the...very energetic class. He walked back down to the first floor, not noticing a pair of eyes watching him from afar. Shuichi was too concentrated and too deep in thought to notice. He walked into the restroom first and locked himself in a stall before panting softly.   
  
_I probably shouldn't have done all that work, especially not like this... The boxes were heavier than expected too…_

  
Shuichi reached into his pocket and popped a piece of candy in his mouth. The candy always made him feel better and helped him feel a form of reassurance after over exerting himself. He adjusted his clothes as well, and once he was done, he exited the restroom. Shuichi entered the nurse's office and closed the door behind him to see a...questionable sight. "S-Should I just l-leave...?" He stuttered and looked away. What he saw...will be left to the imagination. "N-No don't leave-"

 

* * *

 

"Saihara-kun..." After a while of...answered questions and suspicions, Shuichi sighed. "I'm worn out already...it's not even lunch break yet..." Naegi immediately looked concerned. "Tsumiki senpai didn't ask you to do too much right?" He shook his head. "No it wasn't that, today's just one of the tiring days, a lot happened." Naegi nodded. "I understand, I wanted you to come meet my classmates but if you're that tired..." Shuichi shook his head again. "No no, it's fine, I'd like to meet your classmates Naegi senpai" Naegi laughed and smiled. "Alright I got it, you've already met three of them right here," He pointed to each individual one and introduced them. "This is Maizono Sayaka, she's the Ultimate Pop Sensation, this is Ikusaba Mukuro the Ultimate Soldier, and this is Kyoko Kirigiri who, as you know, is the original Ultimate Detective." Shuichi reached out to shake their hands, and his hand shook a little when he shook Kyoko's hand.   
  
"U-Um...I got accepted into this school by being the Ultimate Detective but..." How could Shuichi put this into words? Thankfully, Naegi spoke for him (after he gave a pleading look to him). "Saihara-kun isn't confident in his detective skills at the moment Kyoko, I think he wanted to know some tips and possible training on how to be a better detective." Kyoko seemed to be analyzing him through her purple eyes and gave a small hum. "Well, from what I can see, you're probably a decent detective but what you need right now is confidence in your abilities." She spoke in a cold tone, but she was kind enough to give him advice and Shuichi took that advice to heart- or tried to anyway.   
  
"Is there a reason why you don't have confidence in your abilities?" As soon as the question was asked, he felt his blood run cold again, this time in nervousness and anxiety. "W-Well...I-I just happened to solve a case that's all...I didn't really do anything..." Kyoko sighed softly, "That's a lie isn't it?" As expected of the original Ultimate Detective, nothing could get past her. "It's...partially a lie. That's not the whole reason why I don't have confidence in my abilities..." Kyoko seemed like she wanted to press for more information but Naegi stopped her. She ended up sighing and crossing her arms while looking elsewhere. "If you're not ready to tell me don't worry about it, just come to me when you're ready...and I'll occasionally help you." This caused everyone in the room to either smile or giggle and Shuichi decided that he really liked it here at school.   
  
"We should probably go back to class, Naegi-kun you're okay enough to go back right?" Sayaka spoke and instantly, Shuichi could see the mini hearts in Naegi’s eyes as he nodded. He guessed that the other male was a big fan of Sayaka's Idol group. That or he had a major crush on the girl, probably both. "Yeah, let's bring Saihara-kun with us"   
  
And that was how Shuichi ended up going to the classroom Class 78 was in with all his belongings. "Oh hey it's that kid who brought Naegi to the nurse's office, sorry for giving you that task by the way." It was the upperclassman with a questionable hairstyle from this morning. The blonde male, whom Shuichi recognized as the other male he saw this morning, rolled his eyes. "You weren't the one who gave him the task, I did." A person with pink/blonde pigtails laughed and she vaguely reminded Shuichi of Miu. "Well that's over with isn't it? Let's introduce ourselves to the poor boy and treat him as thanks for saving our poor Naegi-kun" Shuichi couldn't tell if that was sarcasm or not.   
  
After the introductions, Shuichi sat down and observed the class. Naegi seemed to be very popular among the class and...he honestly couldn't tell if everyone liked him or if they were just being overly friendly. Junko sat next to him and sighed. "You're not one to speak often are you?" Shuichi shook his head and gave her an apologetic smile. "Well that makes sense I guess, you don't seem to be the type of person to talk a lot but you also have a weak personality from what I can see." Her observations were right on the spot and Shuichi just let out a small "ehehehe..." before going back to watch the class. "Wanna know a secret?" Shuichi turned to Junko again. “H-Huh?" She grinned before whispering in his ear. "Don't tell anyone but, I'm actually the Ultimate Analyst and not the Ultimate Fashionista, although you could say I'm both."   
  
Shuichi was, beyond confused and kind of flustered. Why would she tell him of all people, especially since they literally just met a few minutes ago. "You're probably confused huh? Well I just told you because you seem like a trustworthy person y'know? And if I'm honest, I'd like to have you as a friend." Shuichi could only blink at Junko's words. He probably had confusion all over his face, but Junko just laughed before saying "Don't worry about it" (which only confused him even more).

 

* * *

 

After another long period of the day, it was lunch break and Shuichi went to the fountain outside, sitting on the bench. He ate some sandwiches he bought along with a juice box. The lunch was pretty sad but he didn't mind and after he was done, he laid down on the bench. "Huh, and here I was thinking I was the only one who did that." Shuichi glanced up to see Hajime laying down on the other bench. "Oh Hinata senpai..." Hajime smiled before sitting up. "I'm waiting for Nanami-san and Komaeda-kun right now what about you?" Shuichi smiled and sighed. "I'm...just laying here I gue-"  
  
"Saihara-chan~~~" Shuichi let out an "Uwah-" before falling off the bench, with Kokichi catching him. Now it looked like Kokichi was carrying him bridal style while kneeling down and heat went up to Shuichi’s face. "Was my beloved Saihara-chan that happy to see me that he fell straight into my arms?" Shuichi was flustered for the nth time in one day. "O-Ouma-kun..."   
  
_Where the heck did he come from? And why is he calling me "Saihara-chan"? Why "-chan"?_   
  
"Nishishishi~ Everyone's been looking for Saihara-chan y'know? After you yelled at that cum bucket and left, we'd thought you'd come back eventually." At Kokichi's words, he felt a little bad for worrying his classmates. Kokichi also looked down and kind of sad? "But yet you didn't come back and-" Wait was Kokichi sniffling? What- "WAAAAAHHHHHHH I really missed you Saihara-chan, don't ever leave me like that again." Shuichi didn't even have enough time to react to that. "Welp, did you think I actually cried? Those tears? That was a lie." The taller male sighed. "Was that talk about missing me a lie too?" Kokichi gave a mischievous and childish grin while having an index finger on Shuichi's lips. "Nishishishi~ Who knows Saihara-chan, that might be a lie but it might also be the truth. I gotta go now though, it was nice talking to you Saihara-chan~" Kokichi left as suddenly as he appeared.   
  
Hajime laughed beside him. "Well that was...interesting, reminds me of when me and Komaeda-kun first got to know each other. Komaeda always spoke non-stop about hope and had trouble knowing his boundaries but," Hajime gave Shuichi a lopsided grin. "He was still fun to hang around with after you got to know him better you know?" As Hajime continued to talk about the fluffy white haired boy, said boy was behind Hajime with Chiaki. Shuichi silently nodded at the other's words, listening to him and giving some glances to Nagito. Hajime must've noticed his glances because he turned around and Nagito had a slight blush on his face while Chiaki just smiled. Hajime then cleared his throat and looked away, looking a little shy. Shuichi chuckled softly at the scene.   
  
_I should go back to class, I've been avoiding my classmates for now and if Kokichi was telling the truth about everyone looking for me then...I shouldn't keep them waiting_   
  
"I'm gonna go back to my class now guys, have fun out here" Shuichi said his farewells while they all said goodbye (and being very concentrated in that game they're playing). He made his way to the classroom and stood near the door, taking a small peak inside. It seemed like everyone was inside but they all had worried and tired expressions...   
  
_Have they really been looking for me for that long? I wasn't even trying to hide, they could've easily found me..._   
  
"Nishishishi~ Don't worry guys, I found Saihara-chan already. In fact, Saihara-chan should be coming at any second now"   
  
Kokichi had a grin on his face while having his arms behind his head. "Really? That's great Kokichi~" Kokichi laughed with a "Nishishi~" before looking at Miu, his fists were raised in front of him and he looked kind of...angry? "You know what you have to do right? Apologize to my beloved Saihara-chan when he comes you dirty whore" Miu...didn't seem to look fazed by the insult...she actually seemed to like the insult. "I got it already! Geez I didn't know that he would start yelling at me like that..." Kaede crossed her arms. "Well maybe you should start being nicer Iruma-san, and not you know," She made a gesture. "assume things about people you just met?" Miu just laughed. "Hah-haha! Like I would do that sour tits." Kaede didn't bother talking to her anymore and turned around with a "Hmph!" and a pout.   
  
Shuichi decided that he should go inside before they realize he was essentially eavesdropping on them. He fixed his hat again before opening the door, mumbling an "I'm back" before he was suddenly swarmed by everyone else. Well. Mostly everyone else. "Where were you Saihara-kun? We were worried and looked for you everywhere!" Shuichi blinked. It wasn’t like he was hiding... "I was just talking and hanging out with the upperclassmen...and it's not like I was hiding guys..." Rantaro shrugged and had a laid-back smile. "Well it seems like we just missed each other a lot then."   
  
"Hey you disgusting blonde bitch, you're not getting out of apologizing to my Saihara-chan." Kokichi was definitely referring to Miu, and Shuichi was very much flustered by the vulgar language. "H-Hey..." Kokichi just grinned at him, "Oh! Don't worry Saihara-chan, she likes being called degrading names. It's probably one of her kinks~" The small male turned back to Miu and had a serious expression on his face. "Now do it, apologize to Saihara-chan." The girl just scoffed and sighed, grumbling to herself before she apologized. "I'm sorry for calling you a pervert just because of your hat and causing you to run off to who knows where." Kokichi grinned again. "Good job Iruma-chan, I give you an A for not making a dirty joke in that apology~"   
  
_Geez...I know the other classes said that they were a little crazy...but I think my class is the craziest. Although I guess that isn't such a bad thing_   
  
Shuichi chuckled softly to himself, earning a look from some of the others who were near him. "Let's just continue talking and getting to know each other, and talk about our talents too!" Kaede immediately spoke up and everyone moved the desks to sit in a circle on the ground. Kokichi was sitting to his right and Kaito the "Luminary of the Stars" was sitting to his left. Everyone was talking about their talents and with Kokichi... "I'm the leader of a secret organization with over 10,000 members, do you guys want to join?" No one could tell if it was a lie or not. "Are you lying?" Kokichi looked hurt but Shuichi was sure that was a lie. "I would never lie about that, I'm the Ultimate Supreme Leader after all~"   
  
_If he is telling the truth...I'm sure I would've heard about it through my detective work. Yet I haven't seen information about any organization like that, or about Kokichi._   
  
Then it was Shuichi's turn. "I'm the Ultimate Detective but I...I don't really deserve the title..." He mumbled the last part but of course, the people near him could hear it. "What do you mean you don't deserve the title Saihara?" Kaito spoke and the room was quiet, not silent, just quiet. "W-Well I'm still technically "in training" s-so..." He didn't want to say the truth, not yet. "Huuh? But Saihara-chan must be really amazing if he's still in training but got the title right? So in that case I think you do deserve the title Saihara-chan." Kokichi had a serious expression again, which Shuichi felt his face heat up a bit, shyly pulling his cap down. He had learned quickly that, that might be the expression Kokichi makes when he's telling the truth or being genuine. "T-Thanks Ouma-kun..." 

 

* * *

 

The rest of the day went by quickly, and Shuichi was- admittingly, more than tired after that. The bell rang for everyone to leave and Shuichi had volunteered to stay behind to clean up the classroom. Kokichi had also stayed behind, wanting to stay with "his beloved Saihara-chan" and while he appreciated the company, the smaller boy was a mystery. It was hard to differentiate between the lies and truths he told. Some of the lies he told as they talked were obvious, others were in the middle, and some felt like truths but Kokichi had insisted they were lies.  
  
_He's a whole mystery...I want to know him more though...maybe he had lying as coping mechanism. Coping mechanism? For what- no Kokichi couldn't...but he could. I don't judge based on appearances and he could- could be going through a lot and I would never know because of the lies and truths. It...makes me want to understand him more._   
  
"Hey Saihara-chan, did you know you can apply to dorm here?" Kokichi snapped him out of his thoughts with his words. Shuichi remembered that he was planning to move into the dorms here, and nodded at the purple-haired boy. "Yeah...I'm planning to do that, what about you Ouma-kun?" Kokichi gave another one of his trademark grins. "I'm planning to dorm here too~ I just hope my members don't fight each other while I'm gone, being a leader is hard." Shuichi hummed in response. "Hey Kokichi, I've never heard of your organization, you say it has 10,000 members but I've never heard of it..." Kokichi had a small smirk on his face while his index finger was in front of his mouth. "Nishishi~ Well we are good at keeping secrets after all." The smaller male suddenly walked over to Shuichi, causing him to walk backwards and his legs hit the desk. He didn’t know what to expect from Kokichi, or what he was about to pull. Kokichi gently grabbed his chin, smirking with his voice a little deeper than before. "You could join my organization you know. If you join, you would be my right hand man Saihara-chan, what do you say?"   
  
Shuichi felt his face heat up and before he could stutter out a reply, Kokichi stepped back. "Nishishi~ Just kidding~ Did you think I was serious Saihara-chan? If I let a detective into my organization, an uproar would rise." The smaller male smiled and pat Shuichi's back. "W-Well I'm still not entirely convinced your organization with 10,000 members is real..." It sounded fishy to him, maybe it was Kokichi bluffing (he hoped it was Kokichi bluffing), but something inside Shuichi told him that the other wasn't a leader of such a big organization. "Well it's up to you to believe me or not when it comes to my secret organization." Kokichi again, had a serious expression before suddenly grinning. "But let's go apply for the dorms here Saihara-chan~ I hope I can live with you, I'll make sure you're never bored nishishi~" The younger gave him a wink and a smirk, making Shuichi very confused.

  
_I think he's telling the truth when he says that...there will probably never be another boring day with Kokichi around... Though I wonder if we're roommates...will he open up to me soon? I won't force him to if he doesn't want to- but what did that wink mean? And that smirk?_

  
With newfound determination (he decided to brush off the wink and smirk), Shuichi went to sign up for staying in the dorms with Kokichi tagging along. He said his farewells to the younger boy after and walked home, silently wishing they could've spent more time together before shaking his head. The day wasn't as bad as it could've been, in fact, he met a lot of nice people and everyone...mostly everyone was really friendly. He almost wanted to stay at school forever, even though he knew that was impossible. At the school, it was filled with nice people, all willing to listen.  

 

* * *

 

Shuichi felt safe with the people at school, especially Naegi, Tsumiki, and...even Kokichi. Junko, like Kokichi, was a mystery, but he spent more time with Kokichi so he felt closer to the boy than he did with the girl. So far...he felt like those three he spent time with could be considered close friends...and maybe, just maybe, he could tell them his secret. The secret that he's been harboring in his heart for so long. The secret that made his parents reject him and his uncle accept him. He sighed as he arrived at home and walked to his room, still lost in thought.   
  
Shuichi knew he couldn't avoid his parents all the time even though he was sure they wouldn't care, as they were practically never home, and never cared. His uncle, bless him, discreetly changed it so that he was Shuichi's guardian so all mail related to Shuichi was sent to him. Of course, his parents didn't say anything, maybe simply because they didn't care. Shuichi still stayed with his parents though, he had the house to himself most of the time and he didn't want to burden his uncle with taking care of him. Plus he owed his uncle and he didn't want to bother him too much, doing things for his family member without saying anything was enough for him.   
  
_I guess I should pack up and leave a note at home for them...if they even care. I don't have much in here anyway, so I should be able to pack everything up. Maybe I can stay over at my uncle's place today. Tomorrow they'll give us our dorms and I can live there from now until I graduate... So it's just for today that I'll stay over. Yeah...yeah I don't need to worry about being a burden to him if it's only for one day right?_   
  
Shuichi shook his head and started packing everything. Ignoring the steady tick tock of the clock. After he was done, he made sure that he packed everything he needed, leaving no trace of him behind. Instead, leaving behind the her his parents so desperately wanted. He wrote a short note saying that he's moving to live in the dorms at school before leaving to go to his uncle's place, schoolbag and backpack with all his belongings in hand. He rode the bus to his uncle's house, as it was a little far. The male had to fix his cap multiple times, mostly to reassure himself that he didn't have to see the inevitable judgement in people's eyes.   
  
He then arrived at his uncle's house and he took in a deep breath, ringing the doorbell with shaky fingers. A few moments later, his uncle came to the door and wordlessly let him inside. Shuichi gave him a weak smile before setting his things down on the couch and proceeding to sit on the couch himself. His uncle closed the door and again, wordlessly worked in the kitchen, probably making tea. He appreciated that, he also felt kind of down recently, but seeing his uncle always made him feel better. His uncle came with the tea (as expected) and sat it down on the table before observing Shuichi.   
  
"You wore your binder for too long again today didn't you?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dun dUn dUN
> 
> That's all I have to say lmao


	3. Roommates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi spends some time with his uncle and meets his new roommate. That's all this chapter really is uwu

"E-Eh?"  
  
Shuichi pretended to be confused as to what his uncle was talking about, but his uncle probably already knew. He had a bad habit of not taking it off, simply because he felt more secure and comfortable with it on. Times where he should've taken it off are when he exercises or does any type of (extremely) draining physical work. Yet he forgets that he has his binder on and ends up not being able to do it, worrying others in the process.  
  
"Shuichi when was the last time you took your binder off?" His uncle spoke with him in a serious tone and as much as Shuichi wanted to lie, he couldn't lie to his uncle, he would find out anyway. Accepting this fact, Shuichi thought back to the last time he...wait. When did he last take his binder off? He couldn't remember, it feels like he's had it on for forever. Shuichi couldn't look his uncle in the eye as he bit his lip and sighed. "I-I don't remember..."  
  
"Shuichi...I know it makes you feel more comfortable and that you wear it so much that you forget about it, but I want you to take care of yourself more too." He nodded as he listened to his uncle, promising him that he'd take care of himself more often. After making a mental note of that (although he wasn't sure if he would actually do that or not), he started to drink his tea before it could get cold. The tea relaxed him and he could feel the tension leave his body. He took this time to observe the place. It was...honestly still the same as ever. The same old clock was there, the fireplace, the couches, and even the shelves full of books. It all looked familiar and he smiled to himself at the joyful memories he had here.  
  
"So is there a reason why you're here Shuichi? Did something happen?" Shuichi finished his tea and set it on the table before turning to his uncle and nodding, "I-It's nothing bad though, I signed up to live in the dorms at school and I felt like you should know." His uncle breathed a light sigh of relief. "Let me guess, since you're going to move into the dorms at school, you want to stay here for one night before you officially move into the dorms right?" Shuichi felt heat rise to his cheeks and he instantly became flustered. "Wh- H-How?-" His uncle laughed and smiled, "I know you by now Shuichi. Now go into the spare bedroom and get some rest- and don't forget to take your binder off when you go sleep okay? I know you're more comfortable with it on, but you need to let your body breathe for a while y'know?"  
  
Shuichi nodded at his uncle's words and brought his stuff up to the spare bedroom. He sighed and got out of his uniform before tentatively taking his binder off too. It wasn't that bad but it felt a little strange...most likely because this was one of the rare times when he would take it off. Gently placing it on the bed with his uniform, he turned to his bag and put on his loose pajamas. Shuichi folded his other clothes and put them in his bag, there was probably a place to wash the clothes at school. He then laid in bed for awhile, he wasn't going to sleep, he was just...thinking. Shuichi fished his phone from his pocket and stared at its blank screen.  
  
_Maybe I should text Naegi and Tsumiki senpai...but it's late and almost dinner time. What if I'm bothering them? No I shouldn't think like that I should just..._  
  
It turns out that he didn't have to think about it that long because Naegi added him into a group chat with just him and Tsumiki. Then that's when the conversation started. It was quite...interesting.

 

* * *

 

 

 **_NaEGGi_ ** _has added you and Tsumikan into the conversation_  
  
NaEGGi: Please don't mind my name- Kirigiri-san did this  
Tsumikan: Kirigiri-san did...?  
NaEGGi: She doesn't seem like the type of person to do this right? But I don't mind, it took a long while for her to open up to me and I really treasure our friendship  
Saihara: Are you sure it's just friendship?  
Tsumikan: Saihara-kun has a point-  
NaEGGi: wHaT- don't gang up on me like this  >:(  
Tsumikan: ...  
Saihara: ...  
Tsumikan: ...  
NaEGGi: What's with all the dots?  
Tsumikan: You used the ">:("  
NaEGGi: ...is that supposed to be a bad thing?  
Saihara: I think what she means is that it's not an emoji to be used when you're actually mad because it makes you look cute instead  
Tsumikan: Wow- Saihara-kun how'd you know?  
Saihara: I'm a psychic.  
Tsumikan: H-Huh?  
Saihara: Just kidding, it was my intuition  
NaEGGi: *war flashbacks intensify*  
Tsumikan: N-Naegi-kun why are you having war flashbacks?  
NaEGGi: It's nothing-  
Saihara: Did I trigger something? Ohmygodimsosorryifitriggeredsomehorriblememorysenpai  
NaEGGi: I sAiD iT wAs nOtHiNg cAlM dOwN sAiHaRa-kUn

 

* * *

 

After who knows how long, his uncle knocked on his door and called him to eat dinner. Shuichi got up and texted a "brb" to them before dragging himself out of his room, smiling at his uncle then following him down to the kitchen. "What's for dinner today?" His uncle smiled and laughed softly. "Well, I didn't want to ruin dinner or anything so I made a simple meal, it's just rice and pork along with some seaweed soup. Nothing much." Shuichi laughed and sat down. "It's alright uncle, at least you tried to make dinner." Then they ate their dinner in peace, they spoke and talked together for awhile, he enjoyed talking to his uncle. His uncle was very opened minded and always helped Shuichi, ever since he...revealed that he was trans, so he owed him a lot.  
  
_I wish he would let me help him or pay him back, I feel guilty just...leaving it with just him helping me all the time. I owe him so much but he doesn't ask anything of me. It makes me feel bad._  
  
Shuichi and his uncle finished talking and they said their goodnights before going back to their respective bedrooms. He brushed his teeth and washed his face before going back to laying down on his bed. Once again, becoming lost in his thoughts. It was a habit, especially at nighttime...it was at nighttime where he had the darkest thoughts. He just couldn't stop them, it started with a tiny negative thought and it could spiral down to...who knows what. Not tonight though, he wouldn't let it get to him tonight. Shuichi texted his friends (who then changed his name to SaiHAra and Tsumiki's name was changed to TSUNmikan for some reason) good night before he put his phone away. He curled up into his blankets and closed his eyes.  
  
_I'll just go to sleep and I'll move into the dorms tomorrow. I wonder who my roommate's going to be? I kind of hope it's Kokichi..._  
  
With that thought, he fell asleep. 

 

* * *

 

 

The next day, Shuichi woke up and stretched, checking his phone for the time.  
  
_It's 5:35...I guess I should get ready for school. I wonder if uncle's still home...actually is he even awake?_  
  
He sat up and, as if he was stuck in a loop, repeated his routine from the day before. He gathered all of his things and double checking to make sure he didn't forget anything important. His uncle was sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee, another cup was sitting in front of him. Shuichi assumed that one was for him and he slowly walked over and sat down in front of his uncle. He took the cup and drank little sips as it was still hot. "You're going to be in the dorms at school starting from today right? Have any idea who your roommate is going to be?"  
  
Shuichi hummed, he had checked the list yesterday while he was writing his name and he saw most of the people in his class sign the list. There was also some people from the other classes but he's sure that they would put people from the same class together, and people with the same gender together too. With that in mind, he narrowed the list down to four other people.  
  
_Momota-kun, Ouma-kun, Amami-kun, and Keebo-kun... I wonder which one will be my roommate?_  
  
"I don't know, it's one out of four people that I'm thinking of. Unless it's another person entirely." His uncle chuckled. "Considering all the variables I see, well whoever your roommate is, I hope it's someone you can trust." Shuichi nodded and finished his coffee. "I also hope it's someone I can trust... Well I'm going to go to school now, bye uncle~" His uncle smiled at him and waved to him as Shuichi left to go to school with his belongings in hand.

 

* * *

 

  
After arriving at school, he looked around before a familiar voice called out to him, "Saihara-kun~". Turning around, Shuichi smiled and waved as he saw Naegi run over to him. That's when Shuichi realized how short Naegi was, not as short as Kokichi, but still. He had to look down to talk to his upperclassman and he found that strangely endearing. "Good morning Saihara-kun- why are you so tall?" Naegi had a...pout(??????????) on his face and Shuichi couldn't stop himself from laughing softly. "Good morning to you too Naegi-senpai, I'm tall because- well I'm actually not that tall. Isn't Togami-senpai taller than me?"  
  
Naegi pondered for a bit before looking at Shuichi in horror. His voice reflected his facial expression. "You're right, he is taller, am I destined to be short forever?" Naegi then looked down and sighed, a small pout was on his face and Shuichi smiled. "I'm sure you'll grow Naegi-senpai, plus height isn't everything. You have your good qualities too senpai." Shuichi attempted to make Naegi feel better and it seemed to have worked. Naegi looked a little happier after that. "Well that's true. Other than my optimism I'm terribly average, but anyway. Are you planning to move into the school's dorms too?" Shuichi nodded and Naegi grinned, "Then we can drop off our stuff over here, follow me~"  
  
Shuichi followed the smaller boy and dropped off his stuff (after making sure he labeled it as his), before walking with the boy to class, talking as they went. Then a loud "CRASH" sound was heard nearby and Shuichi and Naegi quickly ran to see what was going on. "I-I'm s-sorry!" They knew that voice, it was the voice of their nurse friend Tsumiki.  
  
_Tsumiki-senpai? What happened to her?_  
  
Well Shuichi soon received his answer when he saw Tsumiki and quickly looked somewhere else. "That's...a pretty compromising position Tsumiki-senpai..." Naegi mentioned that and he seemed to be slightly uncomfortable and looked away as well. "I-I'm s-sorry for being so c-clumsy...oh how will I get out now..." Shuichi and Naegi both looked at each other and carefully looked back to the situation at hand. Luckily no one was around to witness this situation. Tsumiki was tangled in many wires on the stairs and...was in a compromising position, luckily there was a book covering her...private parts. Both of them sighed before helping Tsumiki out of her current predicament. At one point Hajime came by and helped them too.  
  
After that event, they all walked to class together, talking about whatever came to mind (and Hajime gave them his number too). Shuichi arrived at his classroom first and said his farewells to his upperclassmen before entering his classroom. "Hey, Saihara" Rantaro greeted him with a smile and Shuichi smiled back. "Hi Amami-kun" He sat in his desk and looked around to see if anyone else was in the classroom and he saw Kaito sleeping at his desk. "Momota-kun's here early..." Rantaro chuckled and nodded, "He wanted to drop off his stuff early so he didn't have to do it later but he came a little too early. Momota decided to get some sleep after that." Shuichi hummed, "Makes sense."  
  
"So I've noticed you and Ouma have been getting close already~" Rantaro wiggled his eyebrows and Shuichi felt his face heat up. "I-It's not like that..." The green haired male smirked. "Oh so you guys aren't best friends, so are you guys dating then?" Shuichi's face got redder than before and he just laid his head down on his desk. "S-Stop that..." Rantaro just laughed and pat Shuichi's head, "It's fun teasing you, you're like, a younger brother to me." This made Shuichi look up and stare at Rantaro (avoiding his eyes). "When was your birthday?" Rantaro blinked. "October 3rd?" Shuichi smiled, "I'm older than you so I can't be your younger brother."  
  
Rantaro blinked furiously. "You're older than me?" Shuichi laughed softly and nodded, "Yeah my birthday is September 7th." Rantaro sighed and a familiar laugh was heard. "Nishishi~ I'm older than both of you guys, my birthday's June 21st" The purple haired male skipped over to them and had his usual mischievous grin. "I-" Rantaro started to speak but Kokichi interrupted him. "Don't worry Amami-chan, you have three people who are younger than you in this class~" It was Shuichi's turn to blink. "How do you know?" Kokichi smiled with a finger on his lips. "Nishishi~ Well I have my sources, I am the Ultimate Supreme Leader after all~"  
  
_I'm...actually not surprised. I wonder if there's a database where you can access everyone's profiles. I wouldn't be surprised, the internet is an amazing thing._  
  
The rest of the class came in and they found out that they had no teacher. They only needed to develop their talents enough to pass the exam or ace it. "Sweet~ We can just do whatever we want now." The class just moved the desks and talked in a circle much like they did the other day. They talked about birthdays first and started asking questions. Questions Shuichi really didn't want to answer. Shuichi's responses to the occasional questions directed toward him were a little short and he tended to avoid sensitive questions and topics. Mostly everyone brushed it off but the people who noticed were Rantaro, Kaede, Kaito, Maki, and Kokichi. Shuichi could see the concern in their eyes and he tried to give the "Don't worry about me" smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, but that just increased the concern in their eyes.  
  
_Everyone ends up worrying about me at some point, all I can do is cause them to worry, I'm so- huh? Wait I can't think like this, not here and not now._  
  
After awhile it was their break time and everyone went out to their own separate ways. Shuichi was planning to go see who he was rooming with, and it seemed like some people had the same idea. As in, the five who had been worrying about him. He pretended to not notice and looked at the sign with all their names and roommates. Shuichi skimmed down to his name and saw his roommate's name.  
  
_Oh? My roommate is Momota-kun_  
  
He felt a smack to his shoulder and he was pulled closer to no one other than Momota Kaito. "Alright~! Seems like we're roommates Saihara, let's go get our things and unpack." Kokichi had a frown on his face. "Huuuuh? I thought I'd be roommates with Saihara-chan for sure..." The small boy had a pout on his face (which was a new look, a cute new look might Shuichi add-), and whined, "I got stuck with Amami-chan and not my beloved Saihara-chan WAAAAAHHHHH" Rantaro just rolled his eyes and pat Kokichi's head. "C'mon, we gotta go get our stuff and unpack Ouma." The smaller yelled out an "I don't wanna" while crying exaggeratedly. Shuichi chuckled and waved to everyone else before he was promptly dragged away by Kaito to go to their new dorm.

 

* * *

 

  
  
They got their stuff and their room keys and entered their dorm room. The first thing that was said was- "This is like? My house except in a dorm?? Are we sure this is a dorm and not an apartment???" Shuichi was also genuinely confused. The room had, stairs and, other rooms. It was spotless clean and there was a kitchen, a living room, a couple of restrooms upstairs and their rooms were also upstairs. "Is...is this really a dorm room...?" Shuichi poked around the place, and found the laundry room. Well at least he didn't have to worry about too many people finding out about his secret. "Yo Saihara!" Kaito called him and he quickly went over. "Yes Momota-kun?" Kaito grinned. "Look at this, it's a whole workout place. Perfect for some training right?" Shuichi looked into the room Kaito was talking about and yes, there was a lot of equipment available.  
  
_Maybe he can help me get stronger...we barely know each other right now but something about him makes me comfortable to be with him. That...wouldn't that mean-_  
  
Shuichi brushed the thought away before smiling at Kaito, "Yeah, I feel like you'll be using this room often Momota-kun. Ah! We should unpack our stuff now, which room do you want?" He walked up to the rooms and opened both bedroom doors so that Kaito could see. "Well which one do you want Saihara?" Shuichi blinked and looked at the rooms. One had windows that showed the light shining, and the other was...dark. Kaito would most definitely pick the one with the window, so that means he would be left with the dark room...  
  
_Hah...that would make it easier for depressing thoughts to enter my head, but- it's whatever Kaito wants over what I want. Cause...he's better than me. He'd probably want to look at the stars at night anyway._  
  
Shuichi looked back at Kaito and shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me, which one do you want Momota-kun?" Kaito squinted at him and sighed before smacking his shoulder and giving him a small grin. "Well this won't go anywhere at this rate so I'll pick the dark room alright?" Shuichi looked at the other, confused. "Y-You don't want the one with windows?" Kaito made a small "tsk" sound before shaking his head. "I knew what you were thinking Saihara, it was showing all over your face. You were looking at the dark room with such a sad expression... Y'know, if you have any problems or anything to rant about, just talk to me. I'll be here." Shuichi then gave a shocked expression and looked down.  
  
_So I'm that easy to see through huh...? Some cold-hearted detective I'm supposed to be. I'm probably one of-_  
  
"Stop that." Shuichi looked up at Kaito. "H-Huh?-" Kaito hugged him and sighed, causing Shuichi's eyes to widen. "You're thinking negative thoughts again, stop it." The other male let go of him soon after and pat his shoulders. "Don't think I haven't noticed. I dunno 'bout the others but I noticed that you kept avoiding questions and responding. I wouldn't be as suspicious now if it weren't for your sad looks throughout it all after you deflected a question." Shuichi couldn't say anything to that, but he just gave Kaito a genuine smile. "Alright...I'll...I'll tell you if anything's bothering me Kaito." Kaito nodded and had a wide grin on his face. "You better promise!" Shuichi chuckled.  
  
"Yeah, I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any grammatical or spelling errors, and I also apologize if I got anything out of character. Constructive criticism is appreciated and thank you for reading ^^


	4. Bonding with Kaito

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi getting closer to Kaito and becoming best friends (ft. The Ahoge Squad/Protag trio and the NaeTsuSai trio)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> djhfahsjdh I didn't update in the past two(?) days oof. Partially because I was busy uwu. I went to Wanna One's concert and it was l i t.

Both Kaito and Shuichi spent their time unpacking their belongings and putting them into their respective rooms. Shuichi made sure to put his binders in a drawer hidden under his underwear and pajamas. Even though he was sure Kaito wouldn't look in his clothes, he didn't want him to discover his binder when he wasn't ready to tell the other. Shuichi set his stuffed animal on the bed next to his pillow and sighed. That was the last thing he needed to unpack, he had already finished putting everything in their respective places in the room.  
  
_Should I check on Momota-kun? He might need help unpacking his stuff..._  
  
With that thought, Shuichi headed over to Kaito's room, and peaked in. "M-Momota-kun do you need any help?" 

Kaito turned around and shook his head. "Nah I'm good, you can do whatever till I'm done, I'll make some food for us after unpacking."

Shuichi blinked. "You can cook?"

Kaito huffed and crossed his arms. "Of course I can cook, who do you think I am? I am Momota Kaito, The Luminary of the Stars. There’s nothing I _can’t_ do." 

Shuichi stared at Kaito before starting to laugh, "Okay I'll go take a shower, see you later then." An “alright” followed with a grunt was heard from the other as Shuichi left. 

 

* * *

 

He went back to his room and got his clothes. Shuichi stared at his binder before deciding against wearing it again. He had to stop wearing them for long periods of time. His uncle told him to make sure he wasn’t wearing his binder for too long and to take care of himself. Shuichi decided to just wear loose pajamas and left his binder inside the drawer. As Shuichi was taking a shower, he thought about his day today. It wasn't as exciting as the first day, and he felt more down than usual. But with Kaito's optimism and Kokichi's little antics, he felt better. Coming to this school really was one of the best decisions of his life, even though he had his doubts and worries at first. Smiling to himself, he rinsed off his hair and finished taking a shower. He dried himself off and put on his loose pajamas, putting his old clothes in the laundry basket and proceeding to blow dry his hair.

 

* * *

  
  
Shuichi could smell the food from the restroom and the food smelled pretty good to him. As if in a trance, he walked out to the kitchen and silently sat at the table, watching Kaito cook from there. He wanted to tell the other that he was trans, but would he accept him? That was the only thing stopping him. Kaito seemed like a decent person and he seemed like the type that wouldn't judge. But the last time he told someone he thought he could trust, they stopped talking to him altogether. They didn't tell anyone else he was trans, but they just stopped talking to him so that made Shuichi pretty sad. Shuichi didn’t want that to happen with Kaito. He liked Kaito as a friend. The other male was just so positive and upbeat. Things that Shuichi was not.

Shuichi silently sighed to himself before smiling when Kaito turned around, and it didn't seem like the other noticed him until he spoke. "The food smells great Momota-kun" 

Kaito jumped and yelled out an "UWAH" before clutching his chest (thankfully he was not carrying the food). "S-Saihara you scared me, you came out of nowhere!" Kaito made large gestures and flailed his arms about, causing Shuichi to laugh, hard.

"M-Momota-kun be careful, you might knock something over..." Shuichi wiped some tears away from his eyes.

Kaito laughed along with Shuichi after a while and smiled. "Well you shouldn't sneak up on me like that, took 20 years off my life." The other took the plates and laid it out on the table. "I decided to make a simple meal. It's nothing much, just rice, teriyaki chicken, and some vegetables for good measure.”

Shuichi was reminded of how his uncle also said he made a simple meal, and it caused him to have a small smile on his face. "It's alright, at least you made dinner." He reassured Kaito and started eating. Kaito then gave him a satisfied look before continuing to eat himself.

 

* * *

  
  
After they ate, they cleaned up their meal and went off to their respective rooms. Shuichi decided to text his friends before going to sleep. That's when he found himself in the middle of a Naegi and Hajime bonding moment. Apparently Hajime had the idea of making another group chat without Tsumiki for some reason. Hajime had also renamed the chat as the "Ahoge Squad" and Shuichi was confused until he realized that they all had the ahoge hair.  
  
_Well I guess I'm not surprised. I'm pretty sure there's more people who have ahoges besides us though. Hinata senpai must've only wanted it to be us three. I admit I'm curious but I won't pry into it since Hinata senpai probably wanted it to just be us three for a reason._

****

* * *

  
  
NaEGGi: Wow you have split personalities?  
HajiMEME: Yeah, it's kind of complicated on how I got it though...  
NaEGGi: Do tell  
HajiMEME: To be honest, I'm not sure if I can tell you guys since it's supposed to be classified information but...  
SaiHAra: So many dots  
NaEGGi: Oh Saihara-kun you're here too  
HajiMEME: The way you worded that made it seem like you forgot Saihara was even here.  
SaiHAra: I'm used to it.  
NaEGGi: Ohmygod- Saihara-kun im so sorry please forgive me I didn't mean to make it seem like that I swear!  
SaiHAra: It's okay Naegi-senpai, I know  
NaEGGi: Back to the topic at hand here  
HajiMEME: Ah yes, I was a part of the Kamukura project that Hope's Peak was doing and uh, something happened and instead of erasing my personality completely, Izuru's personality was added  
SaiHAra: Wow- I didn't know this school was experimenting on its students

SaiHAra: This suddenly makes the school look super shady

NaEGGi: So that's how you got the title Ultimate Hope...

HajiMEME: Yep, very different from how you received the title of Ultimate Hope  
SaiHAra: So we’re not going to talk about how-

SaiHAra: Wait what?

NaEGGi: Oh yeah- I may have forgotten to tell you Saihara-kun...but I'm the Ultimate Hope too...  
SaiHAra: Wow both of you are the Ultimate Hope, what am I then, despair?  
NaEGGi: No-  
HajiMEME: No.

* * *

  
  
At the same time, Shuichi and Naegi were also texting in their group chat with Tsumiki. They didn't have an official name for the group chat but they didn't really care. Tsumiki was apologizing yet again for her clumsiness today, while Shuichi was trying to comfort her with Naegi.

* * *

  
  
NaEGGi: Tsumiki senpai it's okay uwu  
TSUNmikan: :""""(  
SaiHAra: Naegi senpai is right, it wasn't your fault that you ended up like that ^^  
TSUNmikan: B-But if I wasn't so clumsy then that wouldn't have happened  
NaEGGi: Tsumiki senpai it's okay, we don't like you any less after that  
SaiHAra: Yeah Naegi senpai is right. Plus we helped you before anyone else saw right?  
TSUNmikan: Hinata-kun saw...  
NaEGGi: B-But he helped us right? He also didn't seem to think of you any less Tsumiki senpai  
SaiHAra: Tsumiki senpai you might be clumsy but that's what makes you you, it's just a trait you have.  
SaiHAra: Like Naegi senpai's optimism and my quiet personality.  
SaiHAra: It's just what makes us well, us.  
NaEGGi: Saihara-kun is completely right Tsumiki senpai.  
TSUNmikan: You guys...  
TSUNmikan: I'm so touched :"0  
TSUNmikan: I think I could cry-  
NaEGGi: Happy tears I'm assuming?  
SaiHAra: Naegi senpai...  
SaiHAra: I don't think she would be crying sad tears if she's touched by our words...

* * *

****

Shuichi had a wide smile on his face before he decided that it was time to sleep. He texted them a "good night" before curling up in his blanket and cuddling his stuffed animal. Just as he closed his eyes, there was a knock on the door. Shuichi blinked, wondering what the astronaut would want at this hour. He got out of bed and opened the door, and there stood no one other than Momota Kaito. "Yo Saihara, let's get to training."  
  
"...H-Huh?!" Shuichi was beyond confused, "Training?"

  
Kaito nodded, "C'mon Saihara, let's go."  
  
Not long after, Shuichi was dragged away by Kaito to go into the training room. "A-Ah Kaito- w-wait--" Soon enough, they were inside the training room and Kaito grinned at him. "Alright now let's get started with training, 50 push-ups let's go." "H-Huh?!" Shuichi found himself doing push-ups not long after and Kaito was next to him, also doing push-ups. "I-I really don't think I can do this M-Momota-kun. This is impossible-" He was already panting and he was only at 25 push-ups. Shuichi wasn't noramlly active and normally did  _not_ do push-ups before he went to sleep.  
  
Kaito responded to him with a "Hey! Don't say that! The impossible is possible! All you gotta do is make it so!"  
  
Shuichi gave out one last breath as he did his last push up and collapsed on the floor. He couldn't feel his arms and he focused on regaining his breath for now. Good thing he didn't wear his binder...  
  
"Geez, that's pathetic, man... Getting tired from only 50 push-ups." Kaito sighed but smiled at him again. "Well, that's enough for now. We'll pick back up tomorrow."  
  
Shuichi was still regaining his breath before he heard what Kaito said and proceeded to have a confused expression. "...We're doing this again tomorrow?"  
  
Kaito blinked. "Huh? Well, yeah. You gotta do daily training everyday right?"  
  
Shuichi slowly sat up and had a small awkward smile. "But...why do I 'gotta' do this Momota-kun? I don't remember agreeing to this." The words were spoken softly (while being slightly out of breath) and Shuichi was genuinely confused.  
  
A moment of silence. Then Kaito gave him a serious, almost determined look. "Because this training's for you."  
  
Shuichi furrowed his eyebrows. "For me...?"  
  
Kaito sighed and looked out the window where the moonlight was shining in. "When I look at you...I can't help but get frustrated. I ask myself... What caused the Ultimate Detective to become like this? How can I help him get stronger?"  
  
Shuichi looked down and didn't say anything. He couldn't say anything.  
  
Kaito looked at him again. "You've been holding yourself back ever since a traumatizing point in your life haven't you? You'll only make everyone worry about you if you try to carry all the burden on your shoulders you know?!"

_  
_ _I know that...I know that already. I know I'm weak. I've already accepted that and that's why I carry this burden on my shoulders, I always have. Momota-kun...You don't have to tell me something I already know..._

  
Shuichi continued to look down and he closed his eyes. While being deep in thought, something triggered him. Something similar to his reaction the day before with Miu. He inhaled sharply before speaking. "I...know..." Shuichi found the strength to stand up and he balled up his fists in frustration. "I know that! I already know that! You don't have to tell me! I know my own emotions and weaknesses Momota-kun!" Kaito looked away and Shuichi could feel tears pooling in his eyes. "I'm...scared. I try hard not to be, but I'm scared." Some tears fell out of his eyes. "I can't stop thinking about...the pain and sadness that comes if I reveal the truth. That's what I'm afraid of..." He wiped his eyes and sighed, "I'm a horrible detective huh? One who's afraid to discover and reveal the truth even though that's their job..."  
  
Kaito turned back to him and smiled, "Alright, I got it! So that's your enemy huh?!"  
  
Shuichi willed any incoming tears to go away before looking at the other. "My...enemy...?"  
  
Kaito scratched his head. "Well, you gotta deal with your worries yourself. I can't give you an answer for those, but... At least you know you're weak, y'know? As long as you can admit that...Then you'll be okay! You just gotta train and get stronger!"  
  
Shuichi was confused yet again, "Huh?"  
  
Kaito's loud voice echoed in the room. "Listen up! Training is the only way to overcome your weakness."  
  
Shuichi was able to follow what Kaito was saying but at his words, he gave the other an awkward smile. "Ah, but, in my case, getting 'stronger' is more of a mental concept..." He looked down. "Not sure what physical training like this is going to do..."  
  
Kaito just grinned and gave a thumbs up to him. "Your head and body are connected, right? At the end of the day, they're still the same!"  
_  
_...What does that even mean? He's not making any sense... But maybe...that's exactly what I need right now.

  
Shuichi had a peaceful smile on his face and looked up at Kaito, making eye contact with him with a determined expression. It was the first time he's made eye contact with someone in awhile. "Alright, Momota-kun. I'll try. Ah- I mean, will you let me? I want to train with you Momota-kun. To get closer to defeating my enemy."  
  
Kaito smiled and nodded. "Well said, Shuichi! But I'm strict so you better prepare yourself bro!"  
  
_"Shuichi" and "Bro", huh? That's the first time he's referred to me by those names...but there's one thing I need to mention to Momot- no, Kaito._  
  
Shuichi smiled but then he remembered something. He put his fingers into their normal position on his chin when he went into his "thinking position" and hummed. "But, ah...perhaps you should be training too, Kaito. You're talking pretty big for a guy that only did 20 push-ups..."  
  
Kaito looked taken aback and sweat started to trail down his face as he blinked multiple times while staring at Shuichi (presumably in shock). "Wha-! You were counting?!" He then sighed in defeat. "Geez, you even noticed that. I guess you really are the Ultimate Detective, after all." Kaito crossed his arms and grinned. "But, y'know, the goal was 50 anyway, so it doesn't matter if I'm a few short!"  
  
Shuichi just shook his head and smiled to himself.  
_  
_ Well that's not fair at all...but that’s fine. We have a schedule to train every night now and, I appreciate Kaito’s help. I don't know why Kaito's so concerned about me but...I think I can place my trust in him. I think I can tell him soon. My...new close...best friend.

 

* * *

  
  
"Hey Kaito?" Kaito looked at him as they were back in front of their rooms. Shuichi smiled at the other and looked down. "Thank you for that...I needed it."  
  
Kaito rubbed the back of his head before grinning at him. "It's no problem Shuichi! Just remember that you can tell me anything alright?"  
  
Shuichi nodded. "You can tell me anything too Kaito, cause we're best friends right?" Kaito nodded, but blinked soon after. "Isn't Ouma-kun your best friend? Or maybe-! Is it true that you two are dating after all?!"  
  
Shuichi furiously shook his head and felt himself blushing. "N-No we aren't dating...!"  
  
_Why does everyone assume that me and Ouma-kun are dating? We just met yesterday and to assume that we're dating like this..._  
  
"Hmm..." Kaito hummed and shrugged soon after. "Well whatever you say Shuichi, I believe you." The other male gave him a thumbs up and a smile while going into his room, "Anyway good night Shuichi! See you tomorrow~"  
  
Shuichi nodded. "Yeah, good night Kaito."  
  
The detective went to bed and curled up in his blankets and hugged his stuffed animal again. Thoughts about what both Rantaro and Kaito said were running through his mind. He was confused on why people thought him and Kokichi were dating. Sure Kokichi flirts with him a lot but Kokichi tends to call people he likes- no favors or find interesting his "beloved"...right? That's what Kokichi told them before at one point in class with the questions. Well, if it wasn't a lie.  
  
_Why am I thinking about Ouma-kun? I should just go sleep, it's not like we actually have feelings for each other so I should just relax and go to sleep..._  
  
_...Right?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually looking for someone to beta read my future chapters and to give me some ideas in general. So if you would like to beta read my later chapters just comment down below uwu. 
> 
>  
> 
> More constructive criticism would be appreciated ^^

**Author's Note:**

> I added the part that was supposed to be the next chapter in since the original was so short uwu. I apologize if anyone came off as out of character or for any grammatical/spelling errors. I don't know how many chapters this fic will have, but I'll try to improve my writing.
> 
> Constructive criticism is appreciated


End file.
